Young and Free to Fall
by lilypottersghost
Summary: The year is 1978, and the Triwizard Tournament is coming to Hogwarts. While gossip about the tournament starts to spread, seventeen-year-old Lily Evans has bigger things to worry about. Head Girl is much more than just a title, after all, and she has to put up with Head Boy, James Potter. Little does she know, fate might force the two of them together with a certain glowing goblet.
1. Let the Morning Come

Chapter One:

 _Let the Morning Come_

The hot August air was slowly giving way to an early fall. The trees outside Lily Evans's window trembled in the wind, swaying back and forth to an invisible yet powerful rhythm. She watched them, her chin rested on her hands, and let her mind wander with a newfound peace. All of her hard work over the past six years had paid off. They'd made her Head Girl.

Her parents had been as proud as they could be of her after she had explained to them what the title meant at Hogwarts. She knew for a fact that Petunia wouldn't give a rat's ass, but there was nothing Lily could do about that. At this moment, just one day before Lily was to leave for school, her older sister was on holiday in France with her intensely boring fiancé. Lily had barely seen her over the past year, but Petunia didn't seem to care. She went on with her life while Lily got left behind wondering what she'd done wrong to deserve to be ignored by her own sister.

 _Severus_ , whispered a voice in the back of her mind. _It was Severus. She thinks you're like him._

She scowled as she rummaged around in her desk drawer for fresh parchment. Lately, she had been devoting too much of her time thinking about her ex-best friend Severus Snape. Lily, though she told herself that she had recovered, was still trying to sew her heart back together. She was still healing where he had wounded her pride and her faith. _Mudblood_ , he had called her. Thinking of that night almost brought tears to her eyes. She pushed the dark memories away. This was going to be a different year at school, a _better_ year at school. It was her, James, Remus, Sirius, Marlene, and Peter against the world, against anyone who'd dare hurt any one of them. They would have fun together, keep up business as usual.

But there was also an undercurrent flowing through their group of friends: an awareness of danger. Lily, a Muggle-born, was a prime target for the group of nasty Death-Eaters-in-training at Hogwarts. James, Marlene, and Sirius, all blood traitors in their own ways, were also in danger.

She was lost in thought—or perhaps it was worry—when an owl landed on her windowsill.

"Oh, hello," she said brightly to Sirius's bird as she removed the letter, mindful of the owl's sharp talons.

 _Lily –_

 _Marlene's told me the news. Congratulations on being chosen for Head Girl and all that. We all knew it would be you._

 _I'm afraid I have something less exciting to tell you—no, actually it's terrible news. I regret to inform you that the person with whom you will be sharing this honor and responsibility is my brother, the Notorious Prick James Potter._

 _Thought I'd warn you before school starts tomorrow—just so you're prepared when you board the Hogwarts Express. If I were you, I'd get out while you still can. Maybe you can spend a year at Muggle school or whatever it is you Muggles do for education and come back next year, when you won't have to put up with him for an entire year. Just a thought._

 _(Don't tell James about this. Maybe act like you didn't know, or blame it on Marlene's blabbermouth. James was looking forward to leaving this unpleasant surprise until when you see him on the train tomorrow. But what he doesn't know is now that I'm friends with both of you I'm not always going to be on board with his decisions that regard you.)_

 _Hope you had a good summer. I still think it's rubbish that you didn't come to stay with us at James's, but I understand if you wanted to spend time with your family. I also would have preferred a quieter summer than the one I've had in this house full of rambunctious witches and wizards, but I guess it's too late for that._

 _Can't wait to see you on the train tomorrow. (Remember: act surprised. Don't let me down, Lil.)_

 _Much love,_

 _Sirius_

 _Oh no_ , Lily thought. _Oh no, no, no, no._

This wasn't right, not right at all. James hadn't even been a prefect last year. What had McGonagall and Dumbledore been thinking? There were so many other more worthy candidates: Hugh from Hufflepuff, Adrian from Ravenclaw—pretty much any of the Ravenclaws from their class—and, of course, Remus. Remus would have been a much more responsible choice for Head Boy. Why he wasn't chosen was a complete mystery to her.

It wasn't that she didn't enjoy James's company. In fact, they had grown to be close friends after her falling out with Severus last year. She just didn't know if she could handle being Head Girl and having to work with him every single day. Just her damn luck that she had finally gotten everything she'd ever dreamed and now she had to share that dream with a reckless trickster like James who'd rather skirt around the rules than follow them.

But Lily Evans was nothing if not stubborn. She decided that even though she had half a mind to complain to Dumbledore, she knew he had enough on his plate with a war going on and certainly didn't need to waste his time with a mundane problem such as this. So she would have to stick it out for the year. Just one year—her last as a student—she would have to deal with James Potter.

Term hadn't even begun, and already she knew that this year at Hogwarts was going to be the longest and most challenging yet.

/

"As radiant as ever, Evans."

She didn't miss a beat. "Keep it in your pants, Potter."

James laughed out loud, and Lily couldn't help it—his smile was infectious.

He had appeared at the door of her compartment on the Hogwarts Express. (She had boarded a bit early—not for any particular reason—just because she thought it was something a Head Girl would do). Behind him stood Sirius, Remus, and Marlene.

James strolled in to sit across from her, followed by the rest of their friends.

"Lily!" Marlene shrieked, pushing passed James to fling her arms around Lily's shoulders.

Lily returned the hug emphatically, and then hugged Remus and Sirius as well.

She was relieved to have her friends with her again. After the terrifying events of last year and the constant killings on the front page of the Daily Prophet, part of her had feared the worst. All summer, she had writing to them and wishing to be with them, and here they were, in front of her and very much alive.

"Where's Peter?" she asked.

Sirius shrugged. "Running late as always. I swear, that kid—"

"You're not much better, Padfoot," Remus said. "It's as if you think classes start five minutes late."

Bickering between the two boys ensued, and Marlene joined them enthusiastically (" _Remus is right, Sirius—you have a real problem_ ").

Lily watched them with smiling eyes, taking a photograph in her mind. This was her happy place. The Hogwarts Express slowly filling with excited students, the air buzzing with reunions and anticipation, and her friends making her glad she'd gotten that letter six years ago telling her she was a witch. Magic might have forever separated her from her sister and thrown her into a world far darker than she ever could have imagined, but this world was also full of light, and the proof was right in front of her in the form of four incredibly vibrant people. They were all so full of hope, and that was what brought Lily the most happiness.

Breaking her gaze from her friends, she noticed that James was watching her from the seat across from her. She smiled at him and he smiled back. She would never admit it with a wand held to her nose, but she'd missed his stupid black hair that stood straight up and his stupid lopsided grin and his stupid rumpled clothes that smelled suspiciously like the detergent she remembered smelling in Potions last year when Slughorn had let the class brew Amortentia for extra credit.

He leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his knees as he studied her face.

"So," he said. "Sirius told you I'm Head Boy."

Lily flushed. "How do you know that?"  
"You noticed my badge and didn't storm off of the train at the sight of it."

"Oh," she said. "Oops. Do you want a do-over?"

"Well, I was expecting much more of a reaction from you. I feel like I've been cheated."

"Alright, Potter." She turned in her seat and closed her eyes, then turned around to face him again, opening her eyes again. "Ah! Is that a Head Boy badge on your shirt?" she exclaimed, clutching her chest for dramatic effect. "What a disgrace! This is an outrage!"

James dissolved into a fit of laughter.

"Was that better?" she asked.

"Much," said James. "That's exactly how I envisioned it happening."

"You're welcome."

He sat back in his seat, studying her with a bony finger pressed to his chin. "So, Evans," he said, "how was your summer? I hardly heard from you."

Lily cocked her head. "Oh. I didn't think you wanted to here more from me. I would have written you more often—I spent most of my summer bored out of my mind. My parents were working and I had no sister to argue with."

A frown etched itself onto his face. "Where was Petunia?"

"France," said Lily shortly. She didn't want to talk about it, how Petunia always jumped at the opportunity to spend time away from her freak of a little sister, how much it hurt to feel that she was unloved, how much she hated the fiancé. "With her new fiancé."

"A Muggle?"

"Oh, of course. Of the most boring kind. His name's Dursley or something."

"Well, from what you say about Petunia, he sounds like just her kind."

"And I'm not," said Lily, thinking aloud. _I will never be her kind._

A look of anguish struck like lightning across James's square-framed eyes. "No! No, that's not what I meant at all—Lily, you have to know—"

"I know, I know," she said. "Sorry. I'm a bit sore from it all, that's all."

"You don't have to be sorry. You can vent to me about Petunia whenever you want."

"Huh. That's strangely sweet, Potter. What's gotten into you?"  
"I guess I must have missed you, my flower."

Lily smirked. "Oh, shut up."

"Never leave me again or I'll go insane," he teased. "I'm serious."

"No, you're not," butted in Sirius, who had stopped the conversation with Remus and Marlene. " _I'm_ Sirius."

James threw up his hands in utter defeat. "Will you ever just _let that one go?_ "

"What?" Sirius said, indignant. "She said my name."

"I'm not even gonna start with you, Padfoot. I've had it up to here—"

It was that moment that Peter decided to show up at the door to the compartment. He smiled sheepishly and the train began to inch slowly, as if nervous, along the tracks. He'd made it on board in the nick of time.

"Hey guys," he said.

"It's about time!" exclaimed Marlene, jumping up to greet Peter with a hug.

"Did I interrupt something?" said Peter.

"Just James giving me grief, as always," Sirius bemoaned.

Lily crossed her arms and glared at the long-haired boy. "That's because you're _always_ a smartass."

"My, my," said Sirius, a smirk growing on his face. "Do my ears deceive me or is Lily Evans actually defending James Potter?"  
Both James and Lily became quite flustered. But before they could argue, Peter interrupted. "Glad to see we're all as combative as ever," he said with a grin on his round face. Lily resisted the urge to punch him in the stomach.

The rest of the train ride was spent discussing the upcoming year at school. Lily and James left briefly to make rounds, checking to make sure the journey to Hogwarts was safe and efficient. Lily only encountered some trouble when she passed by the infamous gang of Slytherins near the head of the train. They jeered at her as she passed, (" _Who let the Mudblood be Head Girl?_ "), and all Lily could do was refuse to acknowledge them while trying to keep a her expression as neutral as possible. Severus didn't join in, but he didn't stop them either. Lily felt his stare like beetles crawling on the back of her neck as she walked away.

Only when she returned to her car did she allow herself a moment of weakness. She ducked in to the restroom at the front of the car, tears gathering in her eyes. She hadn't seen Severus, who had once been her best friend, since last term. Seeing him for the first time in months, watching him with those Death Eaters he called friends… it had affected Lily more than she'd expected or cared to admit.

She felt the remnants of his stare even now as she dried her eyes with a hand towel and looked at her face in the miniscule mirror above the tiny sink. Her green eyes were brighter with tears and her cheeks were red from embarrassment.

Sometimes, she didn't know how much of her was _Lily_ and how much was _Mudblood_. Severus had blurred the line between the names and now she didn't know how to erase the dirty label from her identity. Someone who she thought had cared for her deeply had looked her in the eyes and named her _Mudblood_. It wasn't something you could dab away with a hand towel.

/

"This year will be different from other years," James said to the others, a grim look on his face. "We have to be more careful. You Know Who is getting stronger. Hogwarts isn't as safe as it used to be. Always be on alert."

Lily and James were on the prefects carriage on the way to the castle. Part of their duty as Head Girl and Boy was to debrief the prefects before the opening feast.

As James spoke, Lily stared at the road ahead of them and tried to calm her nerves. The day had dimmed to a deep lavender night. The only light came from the moon, which was framed by wisps of clouds. She listened to the song of the wind ringing through the grassy hills and the faint drumming of the Thestrals' feet against the gravel road. She couldn't see the creatures; she was lucky enough to have never seen someone die before her eyes. But James could see them. He had told her one snowy night last year after their other friends had called it a night and the two of them had been alone for a while in the common room, half studying and half talking.

 _My grandfather_ , he'd murmured. _He died when I was eight._

It had been a bonding moment for them, even though Lily hadn't realized it at the time.

She didn't know when or how it had happened, but somewhere between here and there she had come to care for James as a dear friend, just as she had with Remus and Sirius and Peter.

They were fighting the good fight. Lily knew she could count on them in times of need.

Lily and James finished instructing prefects as the carriages arrived at the castle. They were the first ones there. James hopped from the carriage to the ground first, and then held his hand out to Lily to help her down. She stared at his palm for a second, surprised, before taking his hand and stepping out of the carriage.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

He mumbled a "You're welcome," and glanced at his feet. The night was dark and the lantern light dim, but Lily could have sworn she saw him blush.

Her fingers burned with life where they had touched his, even as they led first years into the foyer, even as they watched the sorting, even as they ate and laughed together with their friends, even as Dumbledore began to speak.

The Great Hall was darker than usual, or perhaps that was only Lily's mind sensing the despair in the room. There were some new orphans sitting at these tables, kids without siblings they once had, even empty spaces where there once were students. Whether they were killed or their parents had kept them home for their safety, Lily felt their absence like a hole in her chest.

"These are dark days," said Dumbledore at the podium. His half-moon spectacles glinted under the candlelight. "And sometimes in the dark days, we need to work to find our light. We have to show the darkness that we are strong, that we are unified against it. So, although it might seem an odd time for such an event, I am pleased to announce that Hogwarts School will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament this year."

A collective gasp shot through the hall. Lily exchanged a shocked look with Marlene.

Dumbledore kept on talking, but Lily barely heard any of it over the roaring in her mind. This year was going to be different, indeed.


	2. Falling From High Places

Chapter Two:

 _Falling From High Places_

"No human could ever manage a schedule like that," said James, looking over Lily's shoulder at the piece of parchment in her hand.

"We're not human," she said shortly through a mouthful of toast.

James scoffed. "Not even a witch like you could pull it off, Evans. You can't possibly take Advanced Herbology, Divination III, _and_ Advanced Charms all in the same term. You'll die a slow, homework-induced death."

Lily shrugged. "I think there was a compliment hidden in there somewhere."

"Prongs is just worried about you," said Remus. "This is his way of showing affection under the thin guise of doubting your abilities as a student and a witch."

"Have I ever told you guys how weird it is you have those nicknames for each other?" said Lily, shifting her attention from her schedule to the front page of the morning's Daily Prophet. "And by weird, I mean cute."

"Yes—it's positively adorable," interjected Marlene. "If only they would tell us what they mean."

Lily giggled. "You know boys, with their secret boy clubs and all."

"Sorry. No girls allowed. I don't make the rules," said James, running his fingers through his black hair in a futile effort to tame it.

Sirius appeared at the table, sliding onto the bench beside Remus and taking a strawberry from his bowl. The five of them took up a space right in the middle of the long Gryffindor table. The rest of the meal was a blur of delightful normalcy. Lily tried to read the Daily Prophet while James tried to bother her, Sirius and Remus ate each other's food instead of their own, and Peter and Marlene discussed the upcoming day of classes.

The morning passed with a startling quickness. Lily's schedule was crammed, and as much as she hated to think that James might have been right, she was starting to think she might have to drop Advanced Care of Magical Creatures in order to keep up in her other classes.

At lunch, Professor McGonagall snagged Lily and James from their meal and escorted them up to Dumbledore's office for a meeting.

"There is much to discuss," said Dumbledore upon their arrival. He stood from his desk. "Please, sit down." Lily and James sat on two cushioned chairs positioned before the desk.

"Lemon drop?" offered Dumbledore, holding out a metal container.

Lily declined. James helped himself.

Dumbledore briefed them on their duties as Head Girl and Boy—including nightly patrols and emergency proceedings—then moved on to the topic of the tournament, starting with the arrival of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students on October 30th. Lily and James were also to encourage relations between Hogwarts students and students from the other schools, Dumbledore insisted.

"If I may ask," Lily said, "why would this year be a good time to host the tournament? There's a war going on, and we're inviting strangers into Hogwarts? It doesn't seem right."

Dumbledore sat back in his chair and folded his weathered hands in front of him. "Good question, Miss Evans. You see, I think this is the perfect time to showcase our alliances with other wizarding schools, don't you? It is a symbol of strength. Hogwarts is hosting the tournament because we are not afraid."

"I understand, Professor," said Lily.  
"Now, off with you two. You must have studying to get to."

"Thank you, Professor," said James as they got up to leave.

"For the record," Lily said once they were out the door, "I still don't think this tournament is a good idea."

Autumn at Hogwarts passed in gusts of wind between classes, quills scratching into parchment, and laughing with friends at meals. It was, to Lily, the best time of year. When she died, she hoped that autumn at Hogwarts would be her heaven.

There was a strange calmness to the castle during those first two months of term. Lily felt like she should enjoy it, but there was always a voice in the back of her mind telling her that this peace would not last; it was the calm before the storm. So, she wished she could enjoy passing notes to Marlene in Potions and walking with James on patrols, during which they found nothing of consequence and they eventually stopped doing them altogether and gave the job to the prefects. She wished she could enjoy bickering with Sirius and laughing with Remus and studying with Peter, but there was always that feeling. This peace would be over soon. This was war, and Lily never forgot. Even when killings slowed down in the Daily Prophet, even when the air of fear in the castle corridors dissipated as students grew less worried, Lily never forgot. Because she saw it every time her eyes met Severus's across the room. There was something terrible waiting in the wings, and Lily couldn't help but fear it.

It was just another Monday. Lily had stayed up late the night before finishing up some Defense Against the Dark Arts homework, but James had done a good job distracting her. Lately, they had been growing closer simply from spending much time together. Their jabs at each other became friendly banter. (One might have even described it as _flirting_ , but Lily didn't think about that.) They were constantly organizing prefects, overseeing the clubs and activities around the school, and assigning nightly patrols. The patrols were new; they'd come with the war. When real danger could be lurking around every corner and the security of Hogwarts was in peril, having only a single teacher roaming the halls in case a student was out of bed seemed insufficient. And so within the past five years, McGonagall and Dumbledore had enacted student-run patrols, and they had a protocol should an emergency occur. Lily and James had drawn up a strict schedule for prefects to follow, and the existence of the patrols comforted Lily to some degree. She often felt helpless to protect her friends and her school, but this was a way to take action even if it was a small act.

Her ordinary Monday changed around lunchtime, when McGonagall stopped by the Gryffindor table to remind Lily and James that the other schools would be arriving soon.

That night, the two of them rounded up the Gryffindor students and led them to the front lawns of the castle to welcome the other schools.

The entrances were quite flashy.

"Obnoxious," as James put it when Durmstrang's mighty ship rose from the glassy water of the Black Lake.

"At least the squid didn't get them," whispered Lily.

"Are you sure that would have been such a bad thing?"

She hit his arm.

"What?" he said. "You have to admit that now's not the best time to welcome outsiders into the castle. Hogwarts is supposed to be a safe haven."

She agreed. Dumbledore had said that the tournament was a symbol of strength, but she couldn't help but see it as a liability to the safety of the students. Durmstrang in particular, she had heard, was hostile toward Mudbloods. It was just a reputation spread by word of mouth, but it was enough to give Lily apprehensions.

"It's not up to us," she said to James, who was standing resolute with his hands in his pockets.

They watched as the headmistress of Beauxbatons and headmaster of Durmstrang were greeted by Dumbledore and McGonagall. It was diplomatic and contrived and enough to make Lily suspicious. She knew she had no reason to feel this way… but she had grown used to this wariness that coated her every thought like a shield. If she always suspected everyone, no one could catch her off guard the way Severus had. _Never again._ Never again would she let her guard down.

"You okay?" James asked.

How could he have noticed? "I'm fine."

"You look like you're about to throw up," he said.

"Just a little nervous."

To her surprise, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick hug; It was gone before she could savor his warmth.  
"Don't worry too much. It'll be alright, Evans."

/

Dinner was a buzz of anticipation. The Great Hall was more crowded than ever, with more room set aside for Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students. Marlene was already ogling over the new boys joining them at the Gryffindor table, keeping her admiration in check through side-glances and excited whispers in Lily's ear, "Isn't he cute?", while Lily nodded absently.

About a half hour into the meal, when plates were mostly empty and conversation was just picking up, Lily felt a tap on her shoulder. She spun on the bench to see a willowy blond girl with brilliant blue eyes and a skirt the same shade, a white rose in her dainty fingers.

"Excuse me," the girl said with a distinctly French accent. "My name is Emilie. I was sent over to deliver a message to you."

"Hi, I'm Lily. What is it?"

"My friend, Matthias, is very shy," said the girl. "He sent me over here to tell you that he finds you very beautiful, and to give you this." She extended the white rose to Lily with a sophisticated little curtsy.

At this point, all of Lily's friends had halted their conversations to watch Lily and the girl. Shyly, Lily accepted the rose.

"He's right over there," said the Beauxbatons girl. She pointed to the Ravenclaw table, where a tall boy with brown hair, a square jaw, and an awkward smile waved at her hesitantly. She waved back.

"Thank you," Lily said to Emilie. "I'm very flattered."

With another curtsy, Emilie returned to her table.

Lily turned back to her friends. Sirius let out a low whistle. Remus was smiling to himself, while James crossed his arms and seemed put off by the whole spectacle. Peter and Marlene couldn't seem to stop laughing.

"Oh, shut up," said Lily. She felt her face grow hot.

"Got an admirer, huh, Evans?" said Sirius, a ridiculous smile on his face.

" _Shut up_ ," she repeated, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"He looks fancy," observed James with a straight face. All of them were now staring not-so-subtly at the Beauxbatons boy, who definitely noticed them.

She grew even more embarrassed. " _Guys!_ "

Sirius shrugged and turned back to the table. "Fine, fine."

"Thank you," she said indignantly. How did she put up with her friends on a daily basis without losing her mind?

Just then, Dumbledore called them to attention.

Lily barely heard him over the roaring of her thoughts until the very last moment, when everything went suddenly quiet. Before them was the blazing Goblet of Fire, the decider of all their fates. It burned like a warning sign in her vision.

This was going to be interesting.

/

That night after the welcoming feast was had and their stomachs were hopelessly full, Lily and Sirius stayed up far too late playing Wizard's Chess.

A sixth-year—bless his soul—had somehow gotten hold of enough Firewhisky to go around, and although Lily and James should have punished him, they were more than willing to get rid of it by allowing any six and seventh year students to have some.

Now Lily, Sirius, James, Remus, Peter, and Marlene all sat by the fire in the common room, which was loud and lively. Tomorrow was Halloween so Lily thought she'd let them enjoy their party. Even if she wanted to, she probably wouldn't have been able to control them due to one little problem…

Lily was a lightweight.

"I don't get it," said Sirius with a lilting voice laced with faint hints of drunkenness. "You only had two drinks."

Lily dissolved into a fit of giggles. James laughed too. He was sitting on the arm of her chair, observing the game.

She instructed her Queen to move diagonally across the board, and then laughed in Sirius's face. "Ha!" she exclaimed. "You're losing! Who's the drunk one now?"

"You," said Marlene from where she was curled up with a book on the couch. "Still you, Lils."

"You're not winning," said Sirius, studying the board. "In fact, it looks like you won't be able to win at all."

"Oh, really?" said Lily. "Want to bet?"

Sirius took the bait. "Two galleons."

" _Four_ ," she said.

Sirius smiled suddenly, wicked and gleeful. "How about this: if I win, you have to put your name in the Goblet of Fire."

Everybody gasped. Remus dropped the quill he'd been doing homework with and got ink on the couch. Despite herself, Lily felt herself falling for the challenge.

James gripped her shoulder. "Don't do it, Lily."

That only made her want to do it more. There was something about James, something that made her want to spend the rest of her life arguing with him and winning every time. With him, she wanted to be right. It nearly drove her mad.

She held out her hand for Sirius to shake. "Fine. You have a deal. But you have to put in your name if you lose."

"Deal," he said.

They shook on it.

/

"I think I should be granted an exception," she said as Sirius, Marlene, and Peter practically pushed her down the corridor to the Great Hall the following evening before dinner. Remus and James followed behind because they were clearly not on board with the idea at all. "I was drunk," Lily pointed out. "Completely and utterly _shitfaced_. I was in no state to be making decisions."

"I agree," said James, but he was quieted by a louder Sirius.

"A deal's a deal," insisted Sirius. "Relax. It's just a silly bet. You won't get picked anyway. We all know it'll be one of the Ravenclaws or maybe Frank Longbottom. No offense intended, Lils, but you're not exactly Triwizard Tournament material."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she said defensively.

"You once cried when we killed a spider in the common room."

"It was innocent!"

"I rest my case."

They reached the Great Hall and stopped at the entrance. The room was full of students all gathered around the flaming goblet. The tables had been pushed aside to allow space for a line of students down the middle of the floor leading up to the goblet, each awaiting their turn to challenge fate by placing their name.

Lily clutched the piece of parchment, on which she'd written her name, tightly in her fingers. She wouldn't be nervous, and she'd die before she let Sirius or Marlene see that she was anything but calm. They led her to the line and left her at the end of it, then retreated to the side of the room by the darkened windows to sit on the Gryffindor table.

Just before he joined them, James took her shoulder and leaned close to her. Lily's breath caught in her throat.

"Good luck," he said softly. She felt the words brush against her temple.

And then Lily was left alone in the line. A Hufflepuff waited behind her and she couldn't see the goblet over the head of the burly Durmstrang student in front of her. She tried not to think about what she was about to do. It was just a bet. And like Sirius had said, there was no chance the goblet would pick her.

When she was about halfway to the front of the line, she felt someone staring at her. She turned to see Severus surrounded by his gang of Slytherins. She hoped the rest of them wouldn't notice her. The way Severus was looking at her was enough to make her skin crawl again with the same beetles that had covered her on the train. She refused to meet his gaze.

The air was suddenly stifling to her, so she pulled her red hair into a messy bun on the top of her head. She tried to breathe and focus on what was ahead of her. This was a chance she was taking, risking it all on a bet.

 _Deadly_ , she thought. _Dumbledore said the tournament was deadly._

But part of her didn't regret losing Wizard's Chess last night. Part of her fantasized about the tournament. If she, a Muggle-born got chosen, wouldn't that be a good thing? And if she won, wouldn't she be revered as a powerful witch? After years of being dismissed as a Mudblood, winning would feel really good. Maybe she was simplifying things—and she knew winning would be near impossible—but if the unthinkable were to happen and the goblet chose her, she didn't think she would be entering unwillingly. No matter what she'd done to talk herself down, this was something she wanted deep in her heart—maybe not for herself, but for every witch and wizard like her who was judged for their non-magical lineage.

When it was her turn, Lily hesitated for a breath before closing her eyes and dropping the parchment with her name on it into the goblet. Cheers from Sirius, Marlene, and Peter erupted from the tables. She tried not to blush as she rejoined her friends.

Remus gave her a high-five, even though he had been heartily against this bet, and Marlene tackled her in a hug. Lily caught James's eye and he gave her a smile, though she thought she saw worry hidden in his eyes.

/

"Are you nervous?" asked Remus at dinner.

"No," Lily said. And truthfully, she wasn't. "Like Sirius said. I won't get picked anyway."

Remus only grimaced. "I hope you're right, for your sake. I did some reading on the tournament in the library—and what I found wasn't good, Lily. Four champion deaths in the past century alone."

Lily tensed, almost dropping her spoon into her stew.

James butted in on their conversation, "Hey—Moony! Cut it out. Can't you see you're scaring her?"

Remus flushed. "I'm just telling her the facts. Maybe she should have thought before she made such a reckless bet with Sirius. This tournament isn't a joke!"

"Oh, don't give me that," said James. "You've done worse while drunk."

"We agreed not to bring that up, Potter."

" _Try me_ , Lupin."

The boys stared at each other from across the table, and Lily tried to rein in her curiosity. _What could Remus have done?_ She knew it wasn't her business, but _still_.

Their bickering was a slight distraction from the question lingering at the back of her mind: _who will the goblet pick?_

"You doing alright?" asked Marlene.

"I don't know," said Lily. "I know it's stupid and I won't get picked, but I can't help but think—"

"Don't worry about it," Marlene interrupted. "Whatever happens is meant to be. You've done your part. Now let destiny have its fun."

"Was that supposed to be comforting?" Lily said through a mouthful of stew.

Marlene giggled. "Find comfort in the fact that you no longer have no control over the situation. And you've got broth on your chin, you idiot." She reached out to it away, but Lily got to it with a napkin before she could help.

The minutes passed by torturously slow to the point where Lily was watching Dumbledore, waiting for him to stop eating and socializing and start announcing the champions.

Finally, Dumbledore stepped up to the podium. "The Goblet of Fire is nearly ready to announce the champions for the Triwizard Tournament." That was all he had to say to throw the entire hall into a tizzy. "Silence!" The room quieted once more. "Thank you," said Dumbledore. "Remember: once the champions are chosen, there is no going back. Should the goblet choose you, you have no choice but to compete. This daunting choice is one that you hopefully already made by placing your name in the goblet. You cannot go back on it now. The three champions represent their schools in the tournament, and so they should act as so. Good sportsmanship is not only preferred; it is required of each brave champion.

"If your name is called," he continued, "then please join us in the back room, where you will receive instructions. Ah—well, it's just about time, now… any minute…"

The goblet's flame rose higher in the air, turning a violent shade of red. A sudden spike of anxiety hit Lily. She reached under the table and grabbed James's hand. To her surprise he didn't pull away, but instead looked over his shoulder (they were turned on the bench to face the goblet, so he was in front of her), and flashed her an encouraging smile. It didn't bring Lily much solace.

"The champion from Beauxbatons Academy," announced Dumbledore as the goblet spat a name from its flame, "is Xavier Bernard."

The Beauxbatons students stood up and cheered—although some, including Matthias and Emilie, were clearly disappointed—as Xavier walked around the staff table and to the adjacent room.

Already, the students were anticipating the next champion. The goblet produced another name. "From Durmstrang: Nikolai Stanev!"

Durmstrang students were quite a bit more rambunctious with their excitement than Beauxbatons had been. Nikolai even ran a victory lap around his table before running into the back room.

The goblet's flame spat and flickered.

Lily's heartbeat skipped and leaped.

A parchment, burning around the edges, shot up from the goblet. Dumbledore caught it and considered the name written upon it before smiling slightly.

Lily couldn't breathe. _It isn't you, it isn't you, it isn't you_ …

"The Hogwarts champion is,"—the word seemed to echo for ages, no, lifetimes—

" _Lily Evans_."

/


End file.
